Animal cage

ABSTRACT

At least the lower part of an exercise cage for an animal such as a dog, monkey, etc. is molded of reinforced plastic so that there are no cracks in which fecal matter, bacteria, etc. can collect. The cage is made with a shelf that the animal can get onto while the cage is being flushed out. A drain is provided in the floor. In addition to the bottom portion, there may be other portions of various constructions. In a preferred cage the walls and roof are solid or made of wire and the cage is provided with a fan in the upper part for ventilation so that air flushed from the cage can be removed from the cage environment. The only opening into this cage is advantageously a single door at the opposite end of the cage from the fan. In a preferred form of the invention, top and bottom portions of the cage are identical and can be nested for shipment or storage. Various modifications are disclosed.

0 f v United States Patent 1191 1111 3,731,657

Alessio 1 May 8, 1973 [5 ANIMAL CAGE Primary Examiner-Hugh R. Chamblee[76] Inventor: Eugene T. Alessio, 20 Harmony Hills Mack Road, Akron,Ohio 44321 [57] ABSTRACT [22] F1led: Apr. 1, 1971 At least the lowerpart of an exercise cage for an [21] APP! l302l0 animal such as a dog,monkey, etc. is molded of reinforced plastic so that there are no cracksin which [52] U.S.Cl ..119/17, 119/19 f l ma er, cteria, e can collect.The cage is [51] Int. Cl. ..A0lk 01/02 made with a shelf that the animalcan get onto while [58] Field of Search ..119/17, l8, 19, 22; the cageis being flushed out. A drain is provided in 128/374 the floor.

[56] References Cited In addition to the bottom portion, there may beother portions of various constructions. In a preferred cage UNITEDSTATES PATENTS the walls and roof are solid or made of wire and the cageis provided with a fan in the upper part for vengfigg izg 4 12 7tilation so that air flushed from the cage can be 3:292:582 12 1966Rubricius: :119 17 rammed the cage envimnmem- The only open- 3,122,127 21964 Shechmeister ct a1. 119/18 s imfl this cage is advantageously aSingle door at 3,367,308 2 1968 Quattrone et a1 119/18 x the pp s nd f hg fr the fan- ;Tgggl In a preferred form of the invention, top andbottom 2:881:73 4/1959 Young Jr et ug/18 x portions of the cage areidentical and can be nested 3,220,383 11 1965 Bruner ..119/17 forshipment or storage.

Various modifications are disclosed.

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SHEET 10 0F 11 INVENTOR.

EUGENE 7: ALESSIO J BY 7 94 95 %Q, C

A TTORNEY ANIMAL CAGE An animal cage is provided as a unit of such ashape that a number of the cages can be stacked one on top of the otherand also a number of the cages can be placed side-by-side to form abattery. The cage is desirable for home use and also for use by aveterinarian or the like who has the care of many animals. The cagewhich is designed for use by dogs, monkeys and other animals, etc., maybe used as a maternity ward or a place for intensive care orpost-surgical recovery or an observation enclosure or an exercise cage,etc.

A feature of the invention is the construction of at least a lower partof the cage which is molded from reinforced plastic. Thus, this part ofthe cage is free of seams and also free of cracks, etc., in whichbacteria and fecal matter might collect. Not only would the collectionof such material be objectionable because odoriferous, but in such acage which is to be used from time to time by different animals or in abattery of cages, odors or gases from such fecal matter and bacteriabreeding there might infect a perfectly healthy animal placed in it orin a neighboring cage. The reinforced plastic is advantageously onewhich an animal will not chew, and which is resistant to water,disinfectants and the urine, etc. discharged by the animal.

The cage is preferably ventilated by a fan which draws air in throughthe door and exhausts it in such a way that it is discharged away fromthe environment of the cage, so that if there is a battery of cages andthe animal in one of the cages has some respiratory difficulty or otherdisease, the air exhausted from his lungs and vapors and gases otherwisegenerated within the cage, will be carried away and will not infect ananimal in a neighboring cage.

The drain in the floor is advantageously connected with a pipe systemwhich will connect with the drain from other cages if there is a batteryand, in any event, will remove any drainage from the environment of thecage. A drain connected individually with a pipe system is far less aptto spread contamination in a battery than the open trench which runsfrom one cage directly into another.

Various cage structures are disclosed. The shelf may cover the whole ofthe back end of the bottom portion of the cage, or just a portion of theback end. The upper portion of the cage may be made of wire, or it maybe closed as by reinforced plastic, or it may be constructed so as to bethus open or closed from time-to-time, as desired. Many alternativeconstructions are disclosed.

Various types of cages are shown and their construction described. Thusthe invention is illustrated in the drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a viewin perspective of one type of cage with the door open;

FIG. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows upper and lower portions of a cage which are ofsubstantially identical shape and nested for storage or shipment;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section of the bottom of the cage showing aheating unit in the floor of the cage;

FIG. 6 is a lateral section of the bottom of the cage showing thereinforcement of the floor of a cage;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the front of a cage made from only the topand bottom portions such as portions shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a cage of similar construction but made of three sections andwith wired windows in the walls;

FIG. 9 is a cage of similar construction but with the top portioncomposed of wired frames and a door;

FIG. 10 is a type similar to FIG. 9 but with a larger portion of theupper part constructed from wired frames;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a modification ofthe structure shown in FIG. 1 which includes a small house attachment atthe side for a dog or other small animal or animals;

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of a modification which includes asmall house attachment at the rear;

FIG. 13 is a section on the line 13-13 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a side view of another modification, erected;

FIG. 15 is a top plan view on line 15-15 of FIG. 14 of thismodification;

FIG. 16 is a sectional view on line 16-16 of FIG. 14,

erected;

FIG. 17 is a front view on line 17-17 of FIG. 14, erected;

FIG. 18 is a back view on line 18-18 of FIG. 14, erected;

FIG. 19 is a side view of this modification, collapsed;

FIG. 20 is a front view on line 20-20 of FIG. 19, collapsed;

FIG. 21 is a sectional view on line 21-21 of FIG. 19, collapsed;

FIG. 22 is a front view of this modification, exploded, showing the topportions being folded down; and

FIG. 23 is a longitudinal sectional view from FIG. 15, erected.

The cage shown in FIGS. 1-3 is formed of a top portion 1, a middleportion 2, and a lower portion 3, all of which are molded fromreinforced plastic. A glass-reinforced plastic such as polyester resinhas proved most satisfactory because of its light weight and strength,but other plastics and other reinforcement may be used such asreinforced epoxy resin, a phenolic resin, ABS resin, formal and urethanefoams, etc.

As is readily seen, particularly in FIG. 4, the top and bottom portionsare identical. This figure shows the two sections nested and packagedfor storage or shipment. The portions when new, as shown in FIG. 4,include a small indented circular area indicated by the referencenumerals 5 and 6 in the respective portions. One or both of theseindented areas may be easily cut out when the cage is assembled. Theopening 6 may serve as a drain which in FIG. 2 is shown as beingconnected with the drain pipe 8. The opening 5 in the top portion may befitted with a fan 9 and a vent pipe 10 which carries the vented air,etc. away from the environment of the cage. If the cage is indoors itmay be vented outdoors. If the cage is one of a battery, by piping theexit gases away from the environment or outside of the building in whichthe cages are located, any bacteria, etc. coming from one cage will notcontaminate an animal in an adjacent cage. Alternatively, air can beforced into the cage to remove objectionable gases and bacteria or anydesired gas such as an anesthetic may be supplied.

It is desirable to provide an additional opening 15 in the top forinsertion of a light 16 or other environmental control instrument suchas a humidifier, dehumidifier, source of oxygen or other gas, heat lamp,ultraviolet light, etc.

The top and bottom portions are molded with a step 18. The step isdesirable in the bottom portion to be used as a place where the animalcan rest if the floor of the cage is dirty or while the cage is beinghosed out. The step is shown as extending across the entire back of thebottom portion. It may cover only a portion of the back, and may be ofany desired outline.

The walls of the top and bottom portions advantageously taper andbroaden downwardly and upwardly, respectively, as well shown in FIG. 4,to permit the nesting of these portions. They may be nested in a carton17 for shipment. Although only two portions are shown as nested in FIG.4, in shipping the cages from a factory many more may be nested in asingle carton or other container.

The cage shown in FIGS. 1-3 includes the central portion 2 which givesheight to the cage. There may be a door in the back or a side of thisportion 2, which door is easily accessible to the animal from the shelf.It may be a spring-operated door, or a guillotine door or a flap door,etc. The various portions of the cage are provided with flanges 20 whichare brought together and bolted by bolts 21. The cracks between theportions are advantageously sealed by any suitable cement 23 to preventthe accumulation of bacteria, etc. in the cracks.

The cage is supported in any suitable manner. Legs 25 are shown asbolted or welded to the flanges 20 or attached in any other suitablemanner, or the legs may be manufactured integrally with the bottom ofthe cage.

Any suitable door may be used. It preferably includes an open portion sothat when the fan is operating air can enter through the door and sweepout the entire interior of the cage. In FIGS. 1 to 3, the door is shownas formed of a rectangular frame 32 with the wired frame 30 hingedthereto at 33. It is provided with any suitable lock (not shown).

The cage is hosed out from time to time, and during this time the animalwill usually rest on the shelf 18. The animal can be removed for morethorough cleaning when that becomes desirable. The drainage from thehosing will be carried away from the environment of the cage through thedrain 6, and if there is a battery of cages the drain pipes 8 can becombined and will run to a sewer or any other suitable location.

The cage can be disassembled from time to time and be readilyreassembled. The top and bottom portions can be nested and packaged asshown in FIG. 4 for shipment.

The floor is advantageously provided with a lip 38 to retain matter,such as water used in hosing out the cage. As shown in FIG. 5, the floormay be heated by the coil 40. The coil can be cemented or otherwisefastened directly to the underside of the floor, or it may be containedin a compartment which serves to reinforce the floor.

If the cage is made of very light-weight construction, some suitablereinforcement will be desirable, and FIG. 6 shows the floor reinforcedwith a piece of plywood 45, which is notched at several places 46 on itsupper surface so that it can be bent to conform to the shape of thefloor which drains from the sides toward the middle to the drain 6.Other desirable reinforcement includes honeycombed foam, etc.

FIG. 7 shows a cage made of the top portion 1 and the bottom portion 3,omitting the center portion. It shows a wire door 50 suitably hinged.

FIG. 8 is of similar construction, but the central portion 2a is madewith wire windows. Otherwise the construction is similar to thatillustrated in FIG. I.

The construction of the cage shown in FIG. 9 is similar to that shown inFIG. 8 except that the top section In is made of wire frame, and a door55, preferably a flap door, is provided in the intermediate section foraccess to the cage. Such a door may be provided in the back wall or anyside wall at any desired height from the floor. It may swing freely onhinges, or be hinged for admittance, only. It may be of any desiredconstruction.

The structure shown in FIG. 10 is similar, but the top and middlesections lb are both made of a single wired frame. Thus the cage may bereadily made of any height with a standard bottom portion; also the sizeof the bottom portion may be varied. The structure shown in FIGS. 9 and10 are designed for inside use, because for outside use a top portionwhich protects from the weather is necessary, or at least usuallydesirable.

FIG. 11 is a modification which utilizes the bottom section! with thestep 8. This figure shows the middle and top sections made of a wireframe, but it is to be understood that this wire frame 60 may be of anyheight desired. More or less of the wire may be replaced by paneling.

A novel feature of the cage shown in FIG. 11, is the house 63 at theside of the cage, which is provided with a hinged door 64 to be openedfor insertion or removal of an animal as well as for cleaning and forobservation of the animal. Alternatively or in addition, a door may belocated in the front, back or side wall or even in the floor, and ahouse or the like such as 63 is particularly desirable if the animal isa female and bears young on the shelf 8. The bottom of the house islevel with the shelf and the door 64 gives ready access to animals onthe shelf. The house 63 is advantageously formed of reinforced plasticof the same composition as the bottom 1. The cage is provided at thefront with a door 65 of the same construction as shown in FIGS. 1-3,which door is suitably mounted and provided with a suitable lockingarrangement.

Instead of having the house 63 at the side of the cage, a somewhatsimilar house may be at the back of the cage. Such a cage is illustratedin FIGS. 12 and 13. The house is built over the shelf at the rear of thecage. The roof 72 is hinged at the front at 73 to provide easy access tothe interior. A partition separates the house from the balance of thecage. The top 75 of the partition extends across the whole of the backof the cage. The bottom portion 76 of the partition extends only partway across the cage and the opening 77 permits the dog or other animalto climb on to the portion 78 of the shelf behind the door and thencrawi behind portion 76 of the partition to be protected from the lightand wind. The floor 79 of the house is level with the shelf.

FIGS. 14 to 23 illustrate a further modification. This cage is builtwith means for screening off an animal, and the upper portion can befolded down to reduce the height of the cage for transportation, etc.The cage, when collapsed, may be transported in a helicopter.

The front part of the cage may be large enough for a man to sleep in.Thus, it is adapted to a variety of uses. The drawings show oneadaptation in which the lower portion is formed of reinforced plastic;the upper portion is of wire screening and the shelf is L-shaped.Various structural changes will suggest themselves to persons skilled inthe art.

P16. 23 clearly shows the bottom portion 90 molded of reinforcedplastic. The shelf, located across the back of the cage is L-shaped witha portion 91 extending across the entire back of the cage and theportion 92 extending forward from the portion 91, as viewed in FIG. 23.Drain 93 is provided, and the cage is advantageously mounted on skids 94to facilitate movement from one place to another.

In the modification shown, the top of the cage cannot be telescoped intothe bottom, but in some variations of this modification this ispossible. The top 95 is provided with a raised area 96 in which thereare vent openings 97. A fan may be provided to enforce ventilation, butthis is not necessary.

The upper portion of the walls 100 (as best shown in FIGS. 14 and 23) isa screen. The three sides of this screen are hinged at 101 to the moldedreinforced plastic bottom 90, and the door 103 (which is shown as ascreen) is formed of a lower portion 104, hinged to the reinforcedplastic at 105, and an upper portion 107 hinged at 108 to its lowerportion. When erect, the side walls 100a and 1011b (FIG. 21) and the topportion 107 of the door are held erect by couplings 110 at each side ofthe door.

As will be explained, the back portion of the cage may be screened offfrom the front portion, so as to provide a dark place for the animal tosleep. To further protect the animal from the light, solid flaps 112 aand b at the sides of the cage and flap 112s (FIGS. 16 and 19) at therear, which are made of reinforced plastic, metal or other suitablecomposition are hinged to the tops of the screens 100 at 114 so thatthey may be lowered and raised (FIG. 16) as desired. To facilitate this,hinged supports 116 (FIG. 18) are provided.

When the top of the cage is to be collapsed, the top 95 is removed,flaps 112 are folded against the upper portions 100 of the cage, andthese upper portions 100 are swung down (FIG. 22) against the reinforcedplastic 90 (FIGS. 19-21) and preferably held there by suitable means.The upper portion 107 of the door is swung against the lower portion 104(FIGS. 20, 21) and preferably held there by suitable means. The top 95is replaced (FIG. 20).

Reference has been made to screening off the back part of the cage.Usually the screen will not extend the entire width of the cage, butwill permit the animal to go from the front of the cage up on to theportion 91 of the shelf. The screen is advantageously made in two parts,viz. 120 which swings down over the front of portion 92 of the shelf(FIG. 16) and the portion 121, fastened to it by hinges 122, whichportion 121 is swung against the side of shelf 92 (FIGS. 14 and 23).When not in use, portion 121 is swung forward against the front ofportion 120, and then this portion 120 is swung up (FIG. 23) on hinges123 (FIG. 16) and fastened in the top 95 of the cage. The portions ofthe screen are fastened to shelf by turn-knobs 125 (FIG. 16) or othersuitable means.

This cage shown in FIGS. 14-23 is designed particularly for an animalwhich is to be moved from place to place, and wants the light screenedfrom him when he wants to sleep.

I claim:

I. An animal cage structure comprising a bottom section molded ofplastic material free of seams, said section including a floor portionsloping from the front thereof toward an upwardly extending portionterminating in a substantially horizontal portion forming a shelf whichslopes to said upwardly extending portion, said section furtherincluding substantially vertically extending side walls and a rear wallattached with said floor portion, said shelf being attached to said rearwall, drain means in said floor portion near the upwardly extending walland means for closing the front of said bottom section.

2. The cage structure of claim 1 in which the plastic is reinforced.

3. The cage structure of claim 1 in which the plastic is polyester andis reinforced with glass.

4. The cage structure of claim 1 which is substantially rectangular andincludes walls on three sides thereof and is provided with a dooropening on the fourth side, with the shelf opposite it, and a lip acrossthe bottom of said opening molded integrally with the floor and saidwalls.

5. The cage structure of claim 1 in which wire mesh extends upwardlyfrom said bottom section.

6. The cage structure of claim 1 which includes a top portionsubstantially identical with the plastic material and nestable thereinwhen not fastened to the bottom section.

7. The cage structure of claim 1 which includes at one side or the reara house with its bottom at substantially the level of the shelf andaccessible from within the cage, the house having a door therein.

8. The cage structure of claim 1 with a roof to which partitioning meansis hinged, which partitioning means when lowered contacts the front ofthe shelf.

9. The cage structure of claim 8 with the shelf across the rear, inwhich cage the partitioning means extends across only a portion of thefront of the shelf.

10. The cage structure of claim 9 in which a portion of the shelfextends farther forward than the balance of the shelf and thepartitioning means when lowered contacts substantially the whole of theperimeter of said portion of the shelf which extends farther forwardthen the balance.

11. The cage of claim 1 with a roof which is removable.

12. The cage structure of claim 11 which includes wire mesh between thesection and the roof.

13. The cage structure of claim 12 in which solid wall material ishinged to the top of the wire mesh.

14. The cage structure of claim 12 in which the wire mesh extends to theroof except at the door to the cage, the entire wire mesh is ofsubstantially the same height and hinged to the wall below it so thatthe wire mesh can be swung outward and down against the wall below it,reducing the height of the cage, the roof being adapted to fit on thecage when the wire mesh is thus swung against the wall below it.

15. The cage structure of claim 13 in which the wire mesh extends to theroof except at the door of the cage,

wire mesh is thus swung down against the wall below it.

16. The animal cage structure of claim 1 in which the drain means is anopening which leads directly to a pipe, and there is a porous cover overthe drain means.

1. An animal cage structure comprising a bottom section molded ofplastic material free of seams, said section including a floor portionsloping from the front thereof toward an upwardly extending portionterminating in a substantially horizontal portion forming a shelf whichslopes to said upwardly extending portion, said section furtherincluding substantially vertically extending side walls and a rear wallattached with said floor portion, said shelf being attached to said rearwall, drain means in said floor portion near the upwardly extending walland means for closing the front of said bottom section.
 2. The cagestructure of claim 1 in which the plastic is reinforced.
 3. The cagestructure of claim 1 in which the plastic is polyester and is reinforcedwith glass.
 4. The cage structure of claim 1 which is substantiallyrectangular and includes walls on three sides thereof and is providedwith a door opening on the fourth side, with the shelf opposite it, anda lip across the bottom of said opening molded integrally with the floorand said walls.
 5. The cage structure of claim 1 in which wire meshextends upwardly from said bottom section.
 6. The cage structure ofclaim 1 which includes a top portion substantially identical with theplastic material and nestable therein when not fastened to the bottomsection.
 7. The cage structure of claim 1 which includes at one side orthe rear a house with its bottom at substantially the level of the shelfand accessiBle from within the cage, the house having a door therein. 8.The cage structure of claim 1 with a roof to which partitioning means ishinged, which partitioning means when lowered contacts the front of theshelf.
 9. The cage structure of claim 8 with the shelf across the rear,in which cage the partitioning means extends across only a portion ofthe front of the shelf.
 10. The cage structure of claim 9 in which aportion of the shelf extends farther forward than the balance of theshelf and the partitioning means when lowered contacts substantially thewhole of the perimeter of said portion of the shelf which extendsfarther forward then the balance.
 11. The cage of claim 1 with a roofwhich is removable.
 12. The cage structure of claim 11 which includeswire mesh between the section and the roof.
 13. The cage structure ofclaim 12 in which solid wall material is hinged to the top of the wiremesh.
 14. The cage structure of claim 12 in which the wire mesh extendsto the roof except at the door to the cage, the entire wire mesh is ofsubstantially the same height and hinged to the wall below it so thatthe wire mesh can be swung outward and down against the wall below it,reducing the height of the cage, the roof being adapted to fit on thecage when the wire mesh is thus swung against the wall below it.
 15. Thecage structure of claim 13 in which the wire mesh extends to the roofexcept at the door of the cage, the entire wire mesh is of substantiallythe same height and hinged to the wall below it so that the wire meshcan be swung outward and down against the wall below it, therebyreducing the height of the cage, the roof being adapted to fit on thecage before and after the wire mesh is thus swung down against the wallbelow it.
 16. The animal cage structure of claim 1 in which the drainmeans is an opening which leads directly to a pipe, and there is aporous cover over the drain means.